Jaspal Singh, CPA: A UFV alumnus who chose community first

Jaspal Singh’s connection to UFV did not end when he graduated.

A UFV alumnus and Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Jaspal has stayed connected to the university’s accounting community through mentorship, professional networking, and support for students preparing to enter the field. Whether he is encouraging students to attend CPA Fraser Valley events, making introductions, or sharing what he has learned from his own career, his goal is simple: help students build connections earlier than he did.

Jaspal’s journey to becoming an accountant was anything but straightforward. In fact, he never expected to become one. After high school, he enrolled at UBC with plans to pursue pharmacy, but quickly realized the path was not the right fit.

He stepped away from school, spent time working, and eventually found his way to business. When he returned to post-secondary, choosing UFV helped shape both his career and his connection to the community.

His route to the CPA designation wound through financial advising, graduate studies, contract work, and teaching accounting and finance at the post-secondary level.

“It was a tough road for me,” he said. “A convoluted pathway to get where I am.”

At one point, Jaspal was earning a strong salary in Vancouver, but the work did not feel connected to the life he wanted to build. Returning to the Fraser Valley brought him closer to the community where his own business journey had started.

“I realized I didn’t value the money so much,” he says. “I was okay with making a lower income if it gave me more time to give back.”

That perspective now shapes the way Jaspal shows up for UFV students.

Through his role as chair of the CPA Fraser Valley chapter, Jaspal helps create opportunities for students to connect with professionals in the field. He encourages students to attend events, ask questions, and begin building relationships before they enter the workforce.

He also stays involved as a mentor, sharing advice drawn from his own winding path into the profession.

“Try to get to as many networking events as you can,” he says. “The connections you make along the way are well worth it.”

That belief also led him to establish a scholarship for accounting students, personally funding it in its early years. Having seen students balance coursework, volunteering, and professional development, he wanted to support those already investing their time in the UFV community.

“If I’m in a position to give back, even a little, it feels like the right thing to do,” he says.

Jaspal talks about networking less as a transaction and more as a habit: showing up, following up, and staying connected.

“You never know what’s going to happen,” he said. “You have to put yourself out there.”

He has seen those small moments turn into real opportunities. A conversation at a networking event can become a connection, a connection can become a recommendation, and a recommendation can help open a door.

His advice to students is simple: do the coursework, but do not let coursework become the whole university experience.

Looking back on his own time at UFV, Jaspal says he would have made more room for the experiences outside the classroom.

“In hindsight, I would have slowed down,” he said. “I would have been more involved, not just going to class.”

To Jaspal, UFV’s value extends beyond the credential. It is also in the relationships students build while they are here, and the ones they continue building after they leave.

His own path shows how those relationships can come full circle. The student who once moved quickly through his degree is now the alumnus encouraging others to slow down, show up, and build community along the way.

For alumni, staying connected can start with something simple: sharing advice, attending an event, opening a door, or helping a student see what is possible after UFV.

For students, Jaspal’s message is just as clear.

“You have to put yourself out there.”

Because sometimes, the connections made along the way become the ones that bring people back.

Jaspal has always believed in the power of sharing knowledge and creating opportunities for others. To support the next generation of accounting professionals, Jaspal and the CPA Fraser Valley Chapter established a scholarship for students in UFV’s Accounting program and members of the Student Accounting Association.

If you would like to join Jaspal in supporting UFV Accounting students, please consider making a gift through this link and selecting the “CPA Fraser Valley Annual Leadership Award” from the available dropdown.